Winterkids goal training scheduled for December 19

Can you teach math with mittens…turn your water table into an ice-fishing pond…host a hibernation party? Yes, you can and WinterKids can help! Take the WinterKids Challenge!

The EveryBody initiative has partnered with WinterKids to provide a Guide to Outdoor Active Learning Training on Thursday, December 19 at Franklin Memorial Hospital in the Bass Room. Trainings are designed for teachers, afterschool program coordinators, and childcare providers.

The Challenge is simple: engage students and children with active, outdoor lessons that work the body as well as the brain; support teaching through hands-on experiential education in the great outdoors; make learning fun; and show us happy, healthy kids having a blast in the winter.

A session for teachers and afterschool program providers of school age children will be offered from 3–5 p.m. Participants will learn new activities to get children active during the school day while learning new concepts. Activities are aligned with the Maine Learning Results standards.

A second session for childcare providers and those caring for preschool aged children will be offered from 6–8 p.m. This is an opportunity for childcare providers to learn great new ways to teach kids how to have fun in the winter.

Participants will receive a free copy of the WinterKids Guide to Outdoor Active Learning, a publication aligned with Maine Learning Results and the Maine Early Learning Guidelines. Participants will learn new ways to increase daytime physical activity and Let’s Go strategies through a fun and lively hands-on experience.

The registration deadline is December 18. Space is limited. To register, call Laurie Soucy at the Healthy Community Coalition at 779-2924.

The Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County EveryBody initiative is part of the Communities Transforming initiative and made possible with funding from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with MaineHealth.

About Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County

Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County, founded in 1989, is one of the oldest health coalitions in the country. Its mission is to measurably improve the wellbeing of all people in Greater Franklin County and neighboring towns using a coordinated public health approach of education, promotion, and outreach. With its qualified staff of public health professionals, Healthy Community Coalition offers health screenings, health information, and programs and events to support healthy lifestyles that prevent disease and improve quality of life. Its community outreach efforts appear in every town and corner of the region. For more information, please visit www.fchn.org/hcc.

About Communities Transforming

Communities Transforming is an initiative that currently helps fuel 10 different programs in seven rural Maine counties. Each program is designed and implemented on a community level and tackles health issues, including promoting healthier lifestyles, increasing healthful eating, and reducing chronic diseases. Communities Transforming is made possible with funding from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with MaineHealth and a variety of local organizations in Androscoggin, Franklin, Oxford, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and Waldo Counties, many of which are MaineHealth member or affiliate hospitals.